 
Jimmy Saa Right from the get-go you know this is going to be good. It starts with a clutch of congas and vocals: Jimmy Saa singing and also playing. Then a big horn ensemble punches in and soon the dancefloor is packed as the glitterball in your mind lights up. Deejay IJ found this one used and loaned it to me. It came out in 2004 and features Saa, one of the singers from Grupo Niche, with another excellent Colombian vocalist, Yuri Buenaventura, on coro. The message of the album is "después de la tempestad viene la calma," so there is a nice balance between freaking-out trumpet solos and laid-back bajo and bongo. It's a big band, with nine guest backing vocalists, three trombones, three trumpets, baritone and flute. There are also three pianists and three bass players listed so I guess that means there were different men at each session and three sessions, but despite this it makes a coherent whole. I could do without the synthesized strings but there are great breaks, excellent horn charts, and some fine noodling by Marino Calcedo on guitar. -- Alastair Johnston |
